Hemlock & Silver

by T. Kingfisher

DELUXE EDITION—a gorgeous hardcover edition featuring bright green sprayed edges, a foil stamp on the casing, and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Retellings, Audiobook, Romance, Fiction, Adult

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2025

About the author

T. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon. In another life, she writes children's books and weird comics, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections.

This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-ups.

When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a devoted fan of T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), I knew I'd love this dark and intriguing retelling of Snow White. The premise alone had me hooked!

The story follows Anja, a skilled healer and poison expert whose curiosity knows no bounds. She's constantly experimenting with poisons and their antidotes, sometimes even testing them on herself in her quest for knowledge.

Her world turns upside down when the king arrives at her workshop with a horrifying confession: he killed the queen after discovering her cutting out their elder daughter's heart. Before Anja can process this revelation, he begs her to examine his younger daughter, Snow, believing she's been poisoned by palace enemies. Having been recommended by her father, Anja feels duty-bound to assess the twelve-year-old princess and search for a cure.

With help from two guards—including Javier, who becomes an unexpected friend (and possibly more)—Anja begins investigating. She examines Snow's room, studies her daily routines, interviews palace staff, and even encounters Snow's delightfully narcissistic talking cat, Grayling.

However, as she delves deeper, she discovers that Snow's condition might not be poison-related at all. Instead, it seems connected to mysterious mirrors that act as portals to a supernatural realm where a sinister force awaits. For Anja, who has always relied on science and knowledge, this presents an impossible challenge: how can she use magic—something she barely understands—to heal the princess without endangering everyone involved?

While the opening chapters felt somewhat slow and dense, the story hit its stride after the first quarter. True to Kingfisher's style, it delivered surprising twists and intelligent storytelling that kept me completely engaged.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing this remarkable Snow White retelling through Kingfisher's unique vision. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts!

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[Yun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't resist fairy tale retellings. All those beautiful princesses, all their tragic misfortunes, and of course all the furry creature companions. What's not to like? And since Snow White is at the top of my list, there's no way I was going to pass this up.

And right away, I thought we were off to an auspicious start. We meet Healer Anja—your typical smart, independent, poison drinker. Her research has saved quite a few folks from certain death, and she would like to continue to do so in peace and quiet. But the king arrives at her door with a unusual request, and soon she's swept away on a secret mission to save his daughter Snow.

The premise sounds fascinating, so I settled in and eagerly awaited the moment when we would get past the setup and the tale would really take off. And I waited. And then I waited some more. You can see where I'm going with this. It wasn't until a hundred pages in that Anja even arrives at the palace to start her investigations.

So herein lies my biggest issue with this story. The pace was so sluggish and leisurely, it was hard to keep my attention. There was a lot of filler, including tons of details about every animal god and the history of every poison/antidote known to this world. But it's all made up and completely irrelevant to the storyline, so who cares?

Anja also started to grate on my nerves. She is both a fretter and a foot-in-the-mouther, and let me tell you, the combination was not pleasant. We are privy to her every thought—however middling, hesitant, and bumbling it may be—as well as her entire trial and error process in figuring out Snow's problem. I'm sorry, but I just don't need that level of detail.

And yet, even after all that thinking out loud, Anja was still somehow really slow on the uptake. Everything had to be completely spelled out in order for her to understand what was going on. I mean, I don't expect every main character to be super clever, but I also can't be hundreds of pages ahead of them.

And the real kicker is, even after all that, I didn't really understand what happened at the very end. Everything had been wrapped up, and then the story tosses in one final twist. It wasn't a very good one since I had seen coming from two hundred pages prior, but no matter, I can look past that. What I cannot look past was the explanation that accompanied it, for it made absolutely no sense.

Served in the tale's typical hemming and hawing style, every additional hesitating statement moved me further and further from clarity, until I had no idea what was going on anymore. It was like the author had completely forgotten the story she had written and all the rules she had made up for the universe, and just served up some random tidbits because they sounded good.

Not gonna lie, this was kind of a disappointment. I've heard nothing but great things about T. Kingfisher, and this being my first by the author, I thought it would serve as the gateway to a whole feast of fantasies heretofore unexplored. Instead, I'm left wondering if maybe this author isn't really for me.

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[Marquise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why does it appear that nobody else has noticed that T. Kingfisher recycled the plot of Thornhedge as the "solution" to the "mystery" of the poisoning of Snow in Hemlock & Silver?

I got trolled for calling her out on that one plot, and yet here we have people heaping praise on this retelling as one of her best.

I disagree, I don't think it's her worst but it's neither her best nor a good one for me. And not because it's a retelling that doesn't follow the fairy tale plot, that's irrelevant. It's the recycling and reuse of old stuff as well as the silliness and the plotholes generously scattered all over the story.

I should kick off by stating that I don't mind that this veers away from the fairy tale, Snow White is one of the most flexible tales to retell, in fact. It can be done from every angle, very loosely or very closely, and have anyone as the narrator, and still be a good retelling if written well. It's because this is one of those tales whose core theme is like putty and applicable everywhere, there's stories that aren't retellings of it at all but have the theme or some of its elements. It's an universal archetype despite the fairy tale being German. And it's very, very hard to screw up. This is gold for writers, because most other tales are more rigid and not as easy to retell.

So when I saw that this was told from a POV I had never seen before, that of a female healer specialised in poisons that is hired by the king to investigate the mysterious illness of his daughter, Princess Snow, I was very intrigued and hopeful. Original angle, I thought. Fresh take, I thought. Surely this is going to be a hit of a story, I thought.

Trust writers specialised in awkward bumblers to find a way to ruin their own good ideas. This was painful to see unravel from the initial chapters that presented an interesting, plain, single, goofy, independent professional woman and concluded in an ode to Special Snowflake and the most predictable and devoid of pathos solution to a non-existent mystery.

THE GOOD
Anja is the good here. Or rather, Anja's point of view, because Anja herself is a recycled character. This kind of old plain ladies with annoying personalities are so common in Kingfisher's retellings I'm tempted to assume they're author avatars. Anja is the same old spinster from Kingfisher's last book and the book before that; she doesn't stand out as a character but as a POV tasked with telling a story.

This book is what I call "peripheral retelling." What I mean by this is a fairy tale that is retold from a secondary or tertiary perspective that isn't the main character(s). For example, in Snow White the main characters would be Snow and the Stepmother (you could argue the dwarfs are too), they are the core theme (their relationship/rivalry), whilst the mirror, the dwarfs, the prince, the huntsman, etc., are all in the periphery. You get the idea. This kind of POV offers even more flexibility to an already very flexible fairy tale.

So how do you fuck up such an original POV? Well . . .

THE BAD
. . . You do it by making your original, fresh perspective into a bumbling Special Snowflake that somehow never pays for being a bumbler.

See, Anja is a healer that specialises in poisons. Nothing extraordinary by itself, but for one thing: this realm is called the Kingdom of Poisons, and the atmosphere and technology makes me think it's early to mid-1800s level of civilisational and technological advance, so with that name and that level of tech there should be practically guilds and schools for poison study and scholarship, but somehow NOBODY in this country ever thought of studying poisons to find antidotes until Anja miraculously had the genius idea to think that every poison has a mirror/antidote?

Seriously?

I mean, the author even has child Anja directly ask an experienced healer about poisons and antidotes, and the healer doesn't know anything! So, essentially, this author makes Anja the discoverer of antidotes and the concept of antidotes in a realm that supposedly has existed for centuries and that has 'poisons' in its name. That's incredible levels of Special Snowflakery that stretches belief past breaking point, if you ask me.

And to make things worse, it's our Genius Not-Like-Other-Spinsters Special Bumbling Snowflake who is the only one that knows that the makeup women use (ceruse) is toxic because of lead. But she never shares that knowledge, doesn't do warning campaigns of any sort like for the poison children lick from paper in this world. She merely uses the knowledge to make fun of pretty and vain women (Kingfisher has this habit to mock pretty women that you suspect is some sort of personal insecurity for how insistent it is in her books). In real life, ceruse was used without knowledge of its toxicity, maybe some scholar noticed its effects here and there, but it wasn't established knowledge in the past, and as soon as it was established scientifically that lead was poisonous, it was eliminated from beauty routines. Yet, in this world, somehow they still use toxic ceruse that causes scars and damages skin but nobody but Anja knows why, and yet she still does nothing but self-satisfiedly congratulate herself for being an unattractive woman Not Interested in Feminine Beauty Products that she comments contain poisons. It's simply another plot point to make her look special, different, not like other girls. All her knowledge of the health damage from slow poisoning is modern transferred to the past, like mercury poisoning, again used in this book to make Anja look special and knowledgeable because somehow she is also the one that figures out the old tyrant king was mad because of mercury poisoning. Modern knowledge. Even the treatment for hemlock poisoning that Anja uses here is modern, that's not how they'd have treated hemlock poisoning in the past, but sure, make your special snowflake character "discover it" with no formal training but reading books and a tutor. Her "independent single professional healer" schtick is having a rich dad with connections in court that indulges her eccentricities, what a great feminist message.

And to enhance how ridiculous this "special knowledge only I possess" aspect is, the author fucked up by having this expert in poisons mistakenly state that prickly pear is only fine to eat if cooked right.

I mean, it's a common enough plant/fruit that she made a mistake about. But that raises the question of what other plants/poisons she's portrayed erroneously here that I don't know because botany isn't my field?

At least all this insistence in making Anja know so much about poisons and unrealistically find treatments and cures only she can think of should've been forgivable if it led somewhere, if it served a plot purpose. Bah! Why not have Anja find out that what is poisoning Snow is some mysterious new poison she doesn't know, a real one, and have her use her supposed wits to find a cure/antidote? Why not even have Anja find the antidote for hemlock that still doesn't exist today? It's a fictional world, there's creative room to invent this.

That would be logical, wouldn't it? And would actually make for a better story. But oh no, let's go for the easy answer, the supernatural answer . . .

THE UGLY
. . . and here we arrive to the solution to the mystery, if it can be called a solution. Spoilers ahead, so be warned.

If you go back and read my review of "Thornhedge," you'll see that I complained that Kingfisher's baddies are cartoonishly evil, and how it wasn't right to have a child be born evil and be evil for the sake of it. I was trolled for that specifically. "But Marquise," they said, "it's a changeling child and changelings are Evil in Celtic mythology." Paraphrasing, this was the crux of their argument.

And now that Kingfisher has again recycled that very same point by making Snow a changeling from what you can assume is some kind of Faerie world in the mirrors, but this time making the changeling be "good" for no reason at all, even though HER MOTHER is evil because she's supposed to be like all supernatural beings . . . readers are oddly silent. Not a word about how silly, convoluted, and implausible this is.

Once again, Kingfisher has slipped one past her adoring fanbase, and they've not even noticed it.

I don't like it when authors insult the readership's intelligence, though. I did notice that Kingfisher merely swapped "evil because" for "good because" with equally zero explanations for either. There was absolutely no reason for Sleeping Beauty to be born an evil child, but Kingfisher stans whined it was logical because Faerie. There is absolutely no reason why Snow White is a good child here, but . . . meh, I don't even care what Kingfisher stans will say, and I'm sure they will find some excuse for this plothole too.

Probably the author herself read reviews, I wouldn't be surprised. I've read most of her retellings, and some of the changes she's made throughout the years does make me suspect so.

The solution to the "mystery" comes very quickly when we are very close to the end of the book, and you can tell the author is in a hurry to cram in as much as possible after having Anja leisurely bumble and stumble around for two thirds of the book, to the point she leaves holes and loose threads all over the ending. The last chapter could've been used to show the king's reaction to what has been happening to his daughter, have him deal with the horrible tragedy he himself unknowingly unleashed, or maybe show how Snow will deal with all that trauma. In sum, give the book the necessary emotional closure, give it pathos and address the events in the first chapter with all the strong, complicated emotions that would be the consequence.

But Kingfisher wastes it on a cat and a mirror-woman, and doesn't seem to even notice that for a character that "doesn't believe in magic" (her own words), Anja takes to magic and magical events & beings too easily and too fast. The entire "solution" to her incompetence is magic, when you think about it. Quite the good little magic-atheist she is, so sceptical and scientific-minded she accepts magic and magical creatures with hardly a bit of questioning. It's just clownishly comical how oblivious this author can unintentionally make her characters.

And as a corollary, I could see the solution to the mystery practically from the first line, when the king says he killed his wife, it was already evident to me that it had been a murder by mistake, which is why my interest wasn't in the solution to the mystery that I had already guessed but in the king's reaction and the consequences. A Greek tragedy in the making . . . and Kingfisher omitted and preferred to avoid the hard topics and drop the hot potato. A Greek tragedy . . . and it's all handwaved with a careless It Was All Magic, Folks.

How did I guess so easily? Mostly because I have read many retellings and having the mirror be the culprit or at least an accessory to the culprit isn't new to me, and a little because Kingfisher made the mistake of showing her cards too early. To an experienced reader of retellings, it was all so easy to see coming.

I have my doubts I'll pick up another retelling by this author, I think I've given her enough chances, and it's been a mixed bag. I did hope this would be one of the hits for me, and I do think Kingfisher can do retellings best when she goes for "periphery" perspectives (she sucks at primary perspective, to be frank) and she does have creative ideas. But she somehow often manages to shoot herself in the foot one way or another, and I'm bone-tired of her silly "humour," her ignorance of historical context, her barely-hidden contempt/attraction attitude towards fairy tales, her limited scope (never understood the praise for her supposed worldbuilding, she often sets her retellings in one house, like here, and her "worlds" are just a glimpse of where she is living, like here the Kingdom of Poisons is very obviously the US Southwest, possibly New Mexico, which makes her prickly pear mistake funnier), and her protagonists that are usually tropes of pretty evil woman and genius plain bumbler maiden aunt.

I suppose she has nothing to offer to the likes of me anymore.

[Nataliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m surprised to realize how much I genuinely enjoyed this.

“I just want to save people and then have those people go away and, ideally, not take arsenic again. Is that really so much to ask?”

By now I’ve figured out precisely what works for me in most books by T. Kingfisher. It’s her signature narrative voice — the offbeat gentle humor with touches of snark here and there, the slight crotchety side to the inner monologue that often echoes the inner mess of my brain, and the trademark narrow focus her characters have on something a bit odd and niche, like mushrooms or plants or chickens, or in the case of this book healing people from poisons. (I still giggle recalling Kingfisher’s Hugo Awards acceptance speech that somehow veered into ode to slime molds — she’s got that endearingly awkward “I’m passionate about these weird things and that’s that” vibe completely down).

“There is a crazy-wild delight that comes over you when you discover something new, something extraordinary. If you try to share that and people look at you blankly, it’s crushing. But if there’s someone else there to say really?! and take fire with enthusiasm alongside you—well, that will keep you going for a long time.“

I typically don’t give two hoots about fairytale retellings, but here Kingfisher, as she’s done before, uses the fairytale as mostly just a springboard for the story that is very much her own, and I quite like that. We get Snow White (minus all seven dwarves), the apples and a mirror, but shifted quite a bit in a narrative that sets its own course through the eye of a local healer with exceedingly broad knowledge of poisons and medicine, a mid-thirties and socially awkward yet knowledgeable and a bit grumpy Anja.

“The problem with being plump, middle-aged, and a woman was that people expected you to be motherly, as if that was your default state. I am not.”

I loved the mirror world which reminded me of an absolutely terrified mirror-related dream I had as a kid after which I tried to avoid those cursed reflective surfaces for a few days until I realized that my poorly brushed hair was more of a threat to my well-being than any mirror-related alternate reality. I loved the grumpy cat (or maybe more than a cat but rather “His Gloriousness, God-King of the Deserts, Lord of Rooftops, Kin of Mirrors, Heir to the Mantle of Harar, He Who Treads the Serpent’s Tail, Whose Claws Have Scarred the Bark of the Great Tree”).

“No sense asking why he was like this. He was a cat. If cats were helpful, they’d be dogs.”

The story starts slowly, yet somehow I didn’t mind as I was quite interested in Anja’s insistence on methodical and rational approach to things, including the puzzle of a young girl’s apparent chronic poisoning. I would have loved an entire book devoted to Lady Sorrell, as it is always the case for me when I meet Kingfisher’s no-nonsense old ladies characters (I plan to age into a no-nonsense old woman, so maybe it’s instructional). And I enjoyed that the romance side plot was very much a side plot, not getting in the way of the story.

4.5 happy stars and a strange craving for apples.

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Also posted on my blog.

[ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ oh this was SO FUN

[MagretFume · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me one of the best books of 2025 and T. Kingfisher. 

I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator was perfect, it made the book even better and the experience more immersive. 

The story draws inspiration from the tale of Snow White, but I feel like this is more of an original story than a real retelling, and to le that made it way more interesting. 

The world building is subtle but so magical, and the characters are compelling and complex. 

I absolutely loved the main character. She's smart, funny, unapologetic and so relatable. 

I'm so glad I got to enjoy this book, I can't Recommend it enough. 

Thank you Macmillan audio for this ARC! 

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark reimagining of Snow White that feels familiar, while telling a stunning new version of the beloved fairytale. T. Kingfisher is quickly becoming an auto buy author.

What’s to love…
- dark fairytale
- strong, sturdy, & tall, over 30 FMC that’s smart, mature, and just a bit quirky
- dare I say this is a book features a woman in STEM? yeah I’m saying it. Definitely a woman in STEM - Anja dedicates her life to the study of poisons. It definitely gives off chemist/biologist vibes!
- romantic subplot that is slow burn and epically adorable
- ANIMAL companion (the feistiest cat)
- no spice
- laugh out loud funny
- weird af (and I mean that in the best way possible)

What’s not to love…
- My only complaint is that it starts a bit slow, but once you’re at the 40% mark the pacing is perfect and you won’t want to put it down.

Audio Narration: 4/5
Pausing and inflection is great. Pacing is a bit slowed down sounding at 1.0x but consistent so easy to speed up. Narration sounds great sped up! Voices for other characters are not quite as varied as I usually like, but don’t stand out in any negative way, so I guess neutral I feel neutral about this aspect.

Aside from the minor issues, I think the narrator does a great job bringing the FMC to life and the audiobook was such a fun way to read!

4.5⭐️ | IG | TikTok |

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was kinda skeptical on if i would be interested in a snow white retelling that doesn’t center snow white as the fmc and that’s my bad for not trusting in t. kingfisher’s pen.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read...a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind, in the Publisher's synopsis for this book, I felt like all my dreams were coming true.

Kingfisher gracing us with a Snow White reimagining, you know it's bound to be amazing. Spoiler Alert: IT WAS!!!



This story features, Anja, a healer who specializes in poisons. Anja receives a summons from the King to assist with his daughter, Snow, who appears to be dying and they can't figure out why.

Nothing seems to be helping. Anja is smart, creative and experiments frequently to create different antidotes. If anyone can save the young princess from some unknown threat, it's gonna be her.



This is just the basic set-up for this story, because I don't want to risk giving anything away. As with most of Kingfisher's work, Anja ends up surrounding herself with an endearing cast of side characters, including a brooding guard and opinionated cat.

I can't tell you how much I loved Anja. From the very start, she felt like someone I could relate to. I know this sounds silly, since this is a Fantasy story, but her narrative voice, the way she thought and related to the world around her, it's so similar to myself.

I've actually felt that way about many of Kingfisher's main characters, so perhaps the two of us just have very similar senses of humor.



Anja was also delivering solid intrepid scholar vibes, which was so fun and interesting to follow. She definitely is a bit out of her comfort zone traveling to the kingdom to help the king, but stays strong even though it's intimidating and does what needs to be done.

The mystery behind what was happening to Snow was super compelling as well. As that unfolds, I loved how dark Kingfisher took it, and some of the imagery that was created was so darkly-beautiful.

The guard, Javier, when they started investigating Snow's illness together, OMG, there were so many funny moments. The stellar narration of the audio def brought life to that humorous banter. I could picture it all like a movie.



Another thing worth mentioning is how well Kingfisher writes animals and animal companions. This is a common thread I've found in her works. They all have so much personality, like all of our real life animal companions.

You can tell she is an animal lover. I never worry about animals being killed or abused in her stories. Taking that worry away makes it a much cozier read for me.



Overall, I felt this was brilliant. Anja made this story special for me, and memorable. She's easily my favorite protagonist of the year so far. I would lay down my life for her.

I'm such a huge Kingfisher stan, so I was expecting to love this, but I was actually surprised how swept up in the story I became. The audiobook had me hooked.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me a copy to read and review. I'm so happy to have another novel to add to my Favorites Shelf!!

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 4 out of 5]

T. Kingfisher reigns supreme in writing dark, gripping, highly imaginative books that I crave! Hemlock & Silver is her reimagining of “Snow White”! I love T. Kingfisher's writing, clever, original, and dark plots. This book had me rubbing my hands together and thinking "yes, my pretty" as this twisted tale of poison, treason, and intrigue began to take shape! I enjoyed the world building and the interesting, quirky, odd, and intriguing characters. I love that her characters are not always pretty - they are odd, they have faults, they don't quite fit in, they are awkward; and yet, they are equally compelling, likeable, intelligent, and kind. Along with the dark, fantasy themes, there was also humor and wit sprinkled throughout Hemlock & Silver!

Healer Anja has always been curious! She has always been intrigued by poisons, and her curiosity has led her to drinking poisons to find their cures! She is a bit different, a bit odd, a bit determined, quite clever, and very smart. When she is summoned by the King to save his daughter, Snow who is dying, she can't refuse. Will her unorthodox treatment save his daughter?????

Reading this book feels like taking a step into a fairy tale where mirrors are magical, dark worlds exist, and cures might be hard to come by. Anja will need to persevere, use her intellect, her wits, and her unorthodox ways to get to the bottom of things. She was such a wonderfully drawn character!!! But wait, there is more! There is a scene stealing talking cat!!!! What more could a reader ask for?

Highly imaginative, beautifully written, gripping, mysterious, dark, twisted and original! This book starts on the slower side and normally I would take issue with this, but Hemlock & Silver worked its magic on me and I was able to just go with the flow. Plus, when I think of fairy tales, I think of children, but this is not a tale for children. It's a tale for adults with an adult female character being the main focus which was a breath of fresh air! Another solid and enjoyable book by an author who continues to dazzle, delight, terrify, and enchant me! If T. Kingfisher writes it, I am going to read it.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[Ricarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a T. Kingfisher enthusiast and I am always after her new releases. Emphasis on releases, plural, because the woman publishes up to 3 books a year. Iconic. Her first new release of 2025 is about 35-year-old healer and poison lover Anja who is sent to attend to the King's daughter Snow. Snow is plagued by a mysterious illness and no other physician could help her so far. Anja tries to find the cause of the sickness with her special knowledge of poisons and so the first half of the book is about her observing Snow's eating habits, examining her surroundings and questioning the staff of the estate. It is a slow-moving story, but I liked how all possible options were talked through and that everything was presented in a detailed way. There is barely any fantasy in the first half of the book and it focuses more on plants and poisons, which are themes that I LOVE in books. The second half than introduces some cool mirror magic and a talking cat (my beloved), but I do have to say that it kinda overshadowed the poison theme. I wish there was more of a mix of the medical and the magical parts of this story, so that they wouldn't feel so separated. Once the mirrors were introduced, the story really focused on them and that part felt a little repetitive and didn't really hold my attention. I guess it might be the exact other way around for other readers, though. But considering that Hemlock & Silver is a Snow White reimagining, it was really no surprise who the culprit was and it took way too long before Anja figured it out too.

This book feels way less like a fairy tale than previous books by T. Kingfisher, like Thornhedge or Nettle & Bone for instance. It's more like Snow White is playing out somewhere in the background of the story with some recognizable elements thrown in from time to time, but with focus on a whole new character. And I liked Anja a lot. She really found her area of interest and is always hungry for new knowledge, but she has the hardest time with other people and rather spends her life with her venomous snake. And bless T. Kingfisher for casually putting fat protagonists in her books, many other authors just don't do that. The funny tone of the book was a pleasure too. There are just always sentences that crack me up, but they never make the overall story seem silly. Hemlock & Silver might not be a contender for my new favorite Kingfisher book, but I can easily recommend this one for fans of the author (which should be everyone in my opinion).

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan / Tor for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

-----------------------------------------
New T. Kingfisher that is possibly related to Nettle & Bone?! Say no more, I'm in. Update: It's a Snow White reimagining!

[Jaime Fok · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Loved the first half! Sort of felt like if Belladonna was written with humor added.

However, I think as we went on - I started losing interest once we got into the whole adventure quest journey… I was in the mood for some more poison.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is most definitely NOT the Snow White you are looking for. Oh yes, this story does feature an apple, poison, a mirror, and an evil queen, but the similarities stop there (no silly dwarves, yay!).

The main character is not Snow White, but one of Kingisher's trademark unconventional heroines. She's middle-aged, plump, unmarried, socially awkward, delightfully grouchy, scrumptiously unapologetic, and has a wonderful tendency to go on the most unwillingly hilarious tangents. She's also a poison expert healer with a chime-adder colleague pet and rooster test-subjects assistants.

Then there's the feline bastard sidekick, Grayling, aka one of the ugliest, most vindictive, most beautifully haughty, exasperating, unhelpful, grumpy talking cats ever. (I want Kingfisher and Matt Dinniman to team up and write a Grayling/Princess Donut crossover. Now that would be slightly amazing.)

Add to that quirky everything, lots of hahahahahaha, creepiness galore, snark aplenty, a bit of romance (but the Kingfisher, non-allergic or convulsion-causing kind), and you get one of my two favorite books of the year.

➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): Kingfisher takes fairytales, punches them in the gut, knocks them on the head, gives them a thoroughly vigorous shake, and turns them upside down...Much to my absolute glee, joy, and delectation...And to the original pathetic Snow White's utter and complete dismay.



P.S. Grunts are very useful. Just so you know.



[Pre-review nonsense]

I'm pretty sure Snow White will never recover from this one.



➽ Review to come and stuff.



[October 2024]

I can't believe we have to wait until August 2025 for the book to be published.

[ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been in a fantasy slump for months but this book had me hooked from the very first page.

Anja is a sarcastic little plant witch who poisons herself on purpose for research, yay for girl math! There’s a broody silent guard who probably needs a hug, a dying princess named Snow who’s got more flair than a soap opera, and a narcissistic cat that acts like it’s the real main character. Obviously I was obsessed.

The writing is sharp, the world feels fresh, and the vibes are dark fairytale meets cozy cottagecore with just enough weird magic to keep me turning pages. I didn’t expect this book to fix my burnout, but here we are.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC I would die for this cat and his dramatic little attitude. I didn’t know I needed to be healed by a grumpy little healer and her toxicologist fantasy until now.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Club Reread: Yep, still 5 stars!

-----------------------------------

Not quite what I expected but excellent! But am I surprised? No, it's T. Kingfisher!

Hemlock & Silver is a retelling of Snow White, but through the perspective of a side character and coming at it in a completely fresh way. Strange mirror worlds, a mysteriously ill princess, and a violent royal history weave together a creepy and novel take on a classic fairytale. The main character is a woman obsessed with poisons and antidotes, hired by the king to uncover what is making his daughter ill. But what she finds goes far beyond anything she expected...

This was eerie and tragic in the best possible way. I absolutely recommend it and the audio narration is great too! I received an audio review copy via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

[Alina ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor for this ARC.

T. Kingfisher has a unique talent for weaving whimsical retellings that feel fresh, cozy, and clever, and Hemlock & Silver is no exception. This book really showcases her ability to blend humor, magic, and just the right amount of tension. These are elements I’ve come to love from her.

If you’re someone who found Gallant by V.E. Schwab lacking in emotional depth or complexity, I think Hemlock & Silver might be the perfect fit for you. Kingfisher’s pacing and character work are much stronger here, and there’s a wonderful mix of heart and mystery that makes it a great read for fans of fantasy that balances darkness and light.

Now, if you’re familiar with the fairy tale at the heart of this story, you might find the plot predictable at times. But honestly, that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment. Kingfisher’s signature wit and warmth breathe new life into the familiar, making even the predictable moments feel engaging and fun.

Overall, this is a cozy, enchanting read that leaves you both satisfied and eager for more of the authors signature storytelling. Highly recommended if you're looking for a story that offers both charm and depth.

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Healer Anja has her work cut out for her; mysterious mirror worlds, a mysterious and handsome guard, and a mysterious, albeit snide and shrewd-talking cat.
What’s not to love?

Then again, Princess Snow and her affliction aren’t too lovable yet Anja has to put her personal feelings aside and figure out why the princess has been falling ill. Is someone in the court poisoning her? Is it simply Snow’s sadness at the loss of her sister and mother?
Healer Anja chases the truth, the mysterious possibly-not-a-cat cat, and tries to hide from her budding feels for her protective guard.

Kingfisher’s characters always have the best sense of observant humor and this tale is no exception. I love her worlds and characters and the relationships she creates along the way.
Yet another great fairytale retelling in which Kingfisher makes the story her, and our, own. - Sara W.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is beautifully, stunningly well written. I know it is marketed as a Snow White retelling, but no one has ever heard this version. Though the original fairytale may have been a vague jumping off point for the author, I really would not call it a retelling at all. Hemlock and Silver is its own, and if you love fantasy...especially if you love fantasy and cats...read it immediately. The mood, tone, wit, the clever and hilarious, talking cat, Grayling, and even the protagonist's intelligence and dry humor remind me a lot of Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. So if you liked that book, I absolutely promise you will love this one. It's my very favorite sort of high fantasy. I also recommend this novel if you are looking to offset a reader slump. Nothing about Hemlock and Silver has been done before; it is an utterly innovative fairytale. And Kingfisher's prose is so smoothly structured and polished that it will pull you along effortlessly.
___________________

Basic Premise:

Anja, a student of alchemy, has made it her life's work to investigate poisons and, to the best of her ability, to find their cures. She considers herself a scholar, and typical of most T. Kingfisher protagonists, she is brilliant and witty. When the king arrives out of the blue to ask her to come and treat his daughter Snow, Anja can't refuse him. The king suspects that frail, beautiful Snow is slowly being poisoned, but no doctor can find the cause. Anja journeys three days (with her pet adder snake in tow)to begin her investigation. But is Snow really the long suffering princess in peril we expect? Anja is certain of only one thing--more is going on than the surface suggests. Fortunately, Anja has a few important allies at the castle who aid her in her search for what is ailing the princess. Her guard Javier quickly becomes both her friend and a subtle love interest. And a talking cat named Grayling becomes a reluctant informant, provided he is well fed, of course. (As an aside, it is darn hard to make talking animals work in adult fantasy, but T. Kingfisher does so expertly. Her ability to write animals into her stories and have them work so well with zero cheesiness is something that always impresses me). I have read Hemlock and Silver twice now, something you can only do if the book contains enough substance to sustain high interest, and my appreciation for this novel has only grown.
____________________

Themes, Symbols, Motifs:

When people form the harmful, even poisonous, habit of judging their own reflections too harshly, what they see in the mirror can become warped. This is often a byproduct of an eating disorder. Interestingly, the suspected poisoning of Snow White and Snow's inability to properly digest food seem to go hand in hand with Anja's startling discoveries about mirrors (which I don't want to spoil). The Mirrors in Hemlock and Silver are quite ironic symbols which impact all the characters a bit differently. Anja's investigation is also catalyst for her own journey toward self-acceptance and self-love as she learns to see her own reflection more kindly.

Poison is a bivalent motif, both life taking and life giving. This idea is even echoed in this society's belief structure via Saint Adder. For Anja, poison offers mysteries which have given her life meaning. She has learned to manipulate multiple literal poisons, turning some into a salvation which saves. But poison when used repeatedly over time can do great damage, and metaphorically self-doubt and self-deprecation are poisons Anja must learn to overcome.

Education/learning is a very subtle symbol which recurs to underscore the difference between those who consider themselves lifelong students who strive, change, evolve vs. those who simply refuse curiosity and derive their primary sense of self from what they assume is reflected back to them whether via an actual mirror or a societal system such as a class system. In other words, it's a matter of living/living deliberately vs. passive living/being acted on.

Anja calls her adder snake and rooster lab assistants as they both help her to diagnose toxins. Neither makes for a very appropriate pet, but she treats both with extremely humane care. There's a subtle theme about respecting all forms of animal life, regardless of whether or not the animal is cute or cuddly. This theme is also echoed once again in the local color of the belief system of animal saints.
____________________

Kingfisher Humor:

One of the things I love most about Kingfisher novels is that they never take themselves too seriously. Even though most of the settings are fit for a monarch, there is no pretense in the tone--just raw wit. Kingfisher princesses would make Disney princesses run away screaming. Kingfisher protagonists are solid, smart, practical women who aren't afraid of milking venomous snakes. Anja, a bluntly spoken woman who dresses for comfort, is a perfect example. She is full of sarcasm and her personal thoughts will make readers laugh out loud.

I love all of Kingfisher's opening lines from each of her novels because they announce this sort of no nonsense tone from "go." In this case, the first line reads "I had just taken poison when the king arrived to inform me that he had just murdered his wife." That has to be one of the best fairytale openers ever.
____________________

World Building:

What I most love about T. Kingfisher's high fantasy is that her world building evolves so naturally. She never wastes time listing paragraphs of exposition. Instead, she merely slips in details about the society, setting, and belief structure conversationally or in her main character's internal dialogue. We are shown what this world is like via local color in character interactions--we are not just told. This technique makes for vivid world building that doesn't drag. There's never that long, slow, pacing issue that plagues authors who haven't quite learned natural ways of world building yet.

Magic:

I love the way magic is so cleverly used and discussed in Hemlock and Silver. Anja is first and foremost a scientist. She prides herself on her alchemical research. Since she was a child and she had the unfortunate experience of watching her cousin die from eating something poisonous, Anja's goal has been to learn about poisons and cure them. She didn't ask for toys for her birthdays; she asked for books. Thus, as an adult, the first few times Anja encounters real magic, she flat out denies that it could possibly be real. Of course she's denying magic's existence to a talking cat, so the whole matter is a bit moot. Like every great fantasy novel using poison as a motif, magic in Hemlock and Silver revolves around what is eaten and digested. I want to avoid spoilers here, so I will just say that the imagery Kingfisher uses to discuss the world of magic is so impactful, you can taste it. It drips down your throat, in fact. I had a distinct taste in my mouth throughout at least half of the novel. Readers will truly feel immersed. Some of the visual imagery is quite startling, even edging on horrifying. There's an image of "a mirror geld" which has since made a cameo in my nightmares. Over all though, this is not "a scary" read, but there are definitely chapters which you won't want to think about at night. Kingfisher has this amazing way of making ordinary, harmless objects (like the trees in Hollow Places) suddenly seem distinctly dangerous. I have a mirror in my bedroom, and I really had to fight the urge to cover it up.
___________________

Further Thoughts on Kingfisher:

Over the last five years, I have become a devoted T. Kingfisher reader; I read everything she writes, and I always preorder largely because I know I can count on her books to be original, clever, and witty. I know I am never going to feel like I have read the plot before because every story she tells is just so new and unique. I know I am not going to be annoyed by ridiculously saccharine melodrama. T Kingfisher does not do saccharine--not in her descriptions which are always balanced with surprising word choices--not in her characters who are always practical and bright--not in her romance which, if present, is believable and healthy. And yet every story she tells is so fantastical it blows me away. I have over used the word "balanced" in this review, I know. But this is an author who just excels at the sort of moderation that enables dog skeletons and talking cats, for example, to be perfectly acceptable, lovable characters. If the tone in her diction were even a little bit over the top, these characters would not work. They would be too saccharine. Her delicate balance is present in every element. Her plots unravel at just the right pace. The atmosphere of terror strikes at just the right moment. Too much of any one image or technique (like gore in horror imagery, ie.) makes readers go numb to it. And that is just never going to be an issue in a Kingfisher novel.

I truly wish I had the skill to more aptly analyze T. Kingfisher's talent, but I guess I will just have to settle for saying that every fantasy/horror novel she's written for adults has utterly fascinated me. In my humble opinion, she's one of the greatest fantasy talents alive today. And I highly encourage readers to check her out. This is a great book to begin with if you are new to T. Kingfisher. But Nettle and Bone, Hollow Places, Snake Eater, Twisted Ones--they are all must reads, and really you can start anywhere.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I think this will please folks who really enjoy interesting magic systems in their fantasy. For me, the plot was a little hurky jerky for my tastes as it explored that magic, but I really loved Anja, Snow, & Javier as characters. I'm a sucker for T Kingfisher's brand of comfy fantasy, though this one definitely also had the element of sadness that some of her work includes. Bonus... talking egotistical cat!

All around, this was another winner from one of my all time favorite authors, even if it wasn't a personal favorite from her.

[Lance]

All aboard the T. Kingfisher hype train 🚂🚂🚂

AND it’s a Snow White retelling!!

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

updated to 4.5 stars because the narrator did a fantastic job

in the past six months, i have read a large majority of t.kingfisher’s backlist and have become obsessed with her writing — both her horror and fantasies are terrifyingly creative and satirical, and extremely attention grabbing.

while i loved this dark snow white retelling — which also reminded me of alice in wonderland because of the talking cat involved — i found myself dragging through the first 40%. the plot really didn’t pick up until halfway through, which to me was a tad disappointing.

but of course, t.kingerfisher’s writing knows no bounds, what with her descriptions of creepy crawling centipedes with fingers for little legs and creativity by depicting an entire alternate world in mirrors.

as for the narrator, she did a fantastic job. i always think satirical humor works best in a narration, and t. kingfisher's narrators nail it every time!

overall, this was a great read!

[P.C. Cast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love T Kingfisher. She's an absolute autobuy for me. Her stories are so smart and unique and I adore her perfectly imperfect characters. This book started a little slow to me. Actually, no. What I mean is usually from page one I'm obsessed with a Kingfisher book—like I get a lot of yardwork done so that I can spend a day listening to her book and accomplish something. This one was interesting and well written, and I liked Anja just fine but I didn't make excuses to listen UNTIL the mirrors and the bodyguard got involved and then I couldn't stop listening. There are some seriously creepy cool things in this book, which I won't give away by describing. I'll just say Kingfisher continues to be brilliantly bizarre. Read this book!

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally published on Grimdark Magazine

4.5 stars

T. Kingfisher has long proved herself to be the queen of the twisty, dark, satirical, genre-blendy fairytale retellings, but I think she truly outdid herself in Hemlock & Silver. Is it a fairytale fantasy? A portal fantasy? A horror fantasy? A cozy fantasy? A romance fantasy? Honestly, who even cares. It’s just a damned brilliant book steeped in Kingfisher’s trademark dark humour and wit that had me intoxicated from start to finish.

“The cat sighed the sigh of the much put-upon. “I didn’t plan to educate a human today,” he said.”

I mean, just read the first line of Hemlock & Silver and tell me you don’t immediately want to keep reading: “I had just taken poison when the king arrived to inform me he had murdered his wife.”. THAT is what I call a strong opening; the hook is planted, the tone is set, and the intrigue is already just oozing off the page. Then add to all that some strangely haunting mirror worlds, a mysteriously ill princess, addictive toxic apples, a narcissistic cat with a big ass personality, and an introverted bodyguard who is really distractingly attractive (how unfair of him!).

Needless to say, T. Kingfisher has taken the tired, old Snow White fairytale and spun something uniquely refreshing and exciting out of it. But the real magic that makes this loose retelling stand out from the crowd for me is the fact that it’s told from such a refreshing perspective: a blunt, headstrong, plus-size (and autistic-coded?) 35-year-old healer and poison expert who is both (deservedly) confident and embarrassingly awkward all at the same time. In other words, Anja is the woman of my dreams.

“Tact is overrated anyway. And if I started being tactful now, he’d probably die of shock.”

Now, I can see how some people might find the pacing of Hemlock & Silver a bit rocky in places with its slow set-up and very hectic ending, but I personally didn’t care at all as there was truly not a single second where I was not entertained. Anja is just so charming and funny without even trying to be, and processing all the increasingly weird events of this mystery investigation through her pragmatic and deadpan perspective made it all the more fun.

Moreover, Anja is extremely competent and clever without being cocky about it, and I loved how her incredible knowledge of all things poison, herbology, and faith (which she passionately spouts out at the most (in)opportune moments) just made the entire world come to life. Kingfisher’s boundless imagination is truly on full display, and it’s honestly astounding to me how much rich and unique worldbuilding is packed into such a tight standalone novel. Sure, it might have taken me quite a while to wrap my head around the intricacies of the eerie mirror realm magic, but Anja seemed to understand how the logic was logicking, so I was just along for the wild ride and I eventually caught up (I think?).

“After a moment I swallowed hard and said, “I’ve gone mad.”
“That,” said the cat, “is also none of my business.”

Anja’s strong (and dare I say, intoxicating) first person narration just had me completely immersed and engrossed the entire way through, and the unconventional way that she interacted with the world and the people around her was honestly beyond amusing to me. Especially her deep despair over having to work with a volatile 12-year-old princess (help, how do you deal with CHILDREN?!), her sharp banter with her unexpected, sassy animal companion, and her undeniable attraction to her wonderful bodyguard who accidentally gets roped into her crazy rollercoaster of an investigation just had me constantly smiling and feeling all the feels (please tell me where I can find myself my own Javier, thank you very much).

In a way, the dynamic between Anja and Javier reminded me a lot of the romances in Kingfisher’s Saint of Steel series, except in Hemlock & Silver the romance is just simmering in the background and never becomes quite as explicit. The tender, slow-burn yearning was just sooo delicious, and I loved how that subplot balanced out the diabolical darkness that is packed within these pages. I mean, talk about some horrifying visuals, sickening sensations, pulse-pounding action and heart-wrenching twists and turns. Also, don’t expect Hemlock & Silver to conclude with a perfect fairytalesque ‘and then they lived happily ever after’ ending. Yes, this is a very satisfying standalone, but I would honestly sell my soul to get a sequel someday to follow up on some of the tantalizing threads left dangling.

“That’s humans for you, I suppose. In dreadful danger, with the weight of the world crushing us down, we’ll somehow still find ourselves thinking: I wonder if he likes me?”

At this point I have read almost the entirety of Kingfisher’s catalogue, and Hemlock & Silver is not just one of my top favourites, but I’d dare say it’s also one of her best works yet (which is saying a lot, because she honestly just doesn’t miss). So, whether you love T. Kingfisher mostly for her fantasy works like A Sorceress Comes to Call and Nettle & Bone, for her horror works like The Hollow Places and What Moves the Dead, or her fantasy romance works like Swordheart and Bryony & Roses, I think Hemlock & Silver is a masterful blend of all those styles that will satisfy cravings you never even knew you had.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

T. Kingfisher's Snow White retelling? Count me in! 😲💖

I loved that this story is the perfect middle ground between Kingfisher's fantasy, humorous and horror books. As in other fairytale retellings from her, here the elements from the original tale are present but she makes this story completely her own, delivering a fresh take on the classic we all know.

The main character was interesting and funny. I loved that she has a scientific mind, with a special interest in poisons. The way her passion and her studies are portrayed sound plausible for a medieval setting.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow but I enjoyed the meticulous way the main character approaches her task. All through the first half of the story I kept wondering how could this possibly become Snow White at some point 🤣 but when the mystery begins to unravel it's really satisfying.

There’s some gore and body horror, more in line with other works from the author but it gives this story a bit of darkness that works really well.

The romance was very sweet and unexpected, and I enjoyed the slow burn very much.

This was another great retelling from Kingfisher. If you enjoyed any of her previous ones you won’t be disappointed!

Thanks to Pan Macmillan | Tor via NetGalley for providing an eARC

[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sloooooooooow start, incredible finish. Love.

[AG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the arc!

🌟🌟🌟🌟✨️/5

Having enjoyed T. Kingfisher's works previously, I knew I'd like this one...I never expected to be this obsessed with it. Hemlock & Silver has unexpectedly become my favorite T. Kingfisher novel and also one of my favorite fairytale-inspired books. It's adventurous, whimsical, a bit romantic with just the right amount of humor!

This year I've been gravitating away from fantasy and towards litfic more and more because of the trope-heavy books being published recently, so I was delighted by how refreshing almost every single aspect of this felt! I must say that like Anja the protagonist, I too have a morbid interest in poisonous plants (side note: that cover and the iconic poisonous plants on it is just brilliant). I enjoyed reading the discussions surrounding poisons and the medical system of the world. Although fully developed worldbuilding is neither the point nor a requirement for the story, the tidbits Anja provided through her observations lent an authentic tone to the narrative.

Anja is one of those protagonists from whose perspective I enjoyed viewing the world. The first person POV works very well for this one. She knows she isn't perfect and acknowledges and embraces her imperfections. I also liked that she's a plus sized character and older than the female protagonists we often encounter. T. Kingfisher's characteristic humor shines in Hemlock & Silver. I found myself laughing out loud quite often. The side characters were amazing too! Grayling the one-eyed judgmental talking cat was my favorite. The romance was just the right amount of sweet and didn't overshadow the plot. Overall, the book had me HOOKED. I loved how TK fleshed out the magic system. All questions that popped up in my mind were eventually answered, leaving no plot holes. Most fantasy novels I've read recently were careless with the worldbuilding and lore, so it was good to see someone being thoughtful for a change. The lore surrounding the mirror-gelds was a highlight for me.

My only critique is that the pacing dragged juuuust a bit once Anja discovered the mirror magic and tried making sense of it, although it does make sense for her to do so since she's used to experimenting.

Although not quite a 5 star, Hemlock & Silver is one of my favorite books I've read so far this year so I'll be rounding it up to a 5. This would make a fabulous animated film. Highly recommended to fans of fairytales!

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there any mash-up of ideas Kingfisher can’t make awesome? Im starting to wonder if she didn’t sacrifice her soul to a demon to have the ability to write such wonderful stories!
Hemlock & Silver is both alike, and different from what I’ve read from her before. Just as the story itself and magical set-up are like Snow White meets Alice in Wonderland; and yet unique in its own way. Between magical apples, poisons, mirrors, a queen’s daughter, and a main character who’s a healer but not a healer, Hemlock & Silver takes us on a wild romp. We have a sweet little love interest, whom is relevant though-out the story, but not the main focus, creating a nice balance of romance with critical fantasy elements. I wish many more of my favourite fantasy novels could strike this perfect ying and yang of horrific elements and soft romance. Kingfisher is truly a witch with her ability to integrate everything at just the right level to make it consumable for most readers. A tricky undertaking that she makes look easy.

Clever, unique, engaging, sweet, and featuring a feisty cat, and a pet snake (awh!). I couldn’t help but love every stage of this novel that brings us in fast and doesn’t waste much time getting to the point, and plot. Kingfisher secures her place as a top, must read author for me (again). She continues to please, amazing, wow, and entertain me in each of her (sometimes very different) novels.
Above all else the story of her adopted cat in the acknowledgements makes everything about this world bending story even better. I’ve always hated mirrors. I instinctively cover them up in hotel rooms, and have none outside of bathrooms in my home. Apparently I am on to something according to this story. I believe it, I really do. Mirrors are weird, creepy, fantastical, and ripe with opportunity. All of which Kingfisher takes and runs with in this stand alone must read fantasy.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kingfisher excels in painting vivid characters that are genuine and relatable and absolute wonderful centers for stories. This novel is no different, with a great central character that lets us explore a story inspired by Sleeping Beauty but never feeling indebted to it. In fact, this story feels entirely its own, with clean but encompassing world-building, giving a wonderful sense of place without being overwhelmed by details, and then letting interesting characters find their way in this world. The writing is descriptive and emotional without ever feeling like it is trying to coerce the reader. It balances on the knife’s edge of being cozy, with enough darkness to maybe push it to one side but enough whimsy to bring it back again. The narrative moves quickly without ever feeling rushed, letting the reader experience the whirlwind of emotion that the main character feels as well. The plotting and writing work to help keep you invested in the character, celebrating her independence and competency and skill without making her seem impossible or impenetrable, but never lingering in her successes or failures in such a way as to disconnect character from story. Kingfisher is always adept at having important ideas addressed casually in her work, and this is no different. Ideas of autonomy, social expectations, morality, justice, and education occupy the first layer of observation or exploration. A little deeper there are questions about anxiety and self-worth, struggles with respectability and honor and obligation, all of which circle around the questions of what we owe each other and what we owe ourselves, and how easy it might be to get lost in distorted interpretations of what is right.

This story is fast-moving and fun, shot through with optimism but dark and not free of emotional and physical stakes. The world-building is comfortable and embraces the reader while letting an emotional story about self-worth grow and blossom without ever feeling like anything but a good time.

(Rounded from 4.5)

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has read the majority of books in T. Kingfisher’s extensive backlog: does the woman have extremely predictable formulas? Yes. But she writes the hell out of those formulas. A dash of fairytale, a dash of horror, a dash of romance, and it’s fun every single time. She hits all of her standard beats in fine form here, with an eccentric 30+ year old FMC, a stoic bodyguard, a dark, twisted world of magic and even a spooky animal companion. The book was a bit slow to get going, but I loved the desert setting and I was totally locked in once the supernatural elements got off the ground.

Of her fairytale-esque stories, I’d say this is probably my second favorite, just after Nettle & Bone. If you liked that one (or a Sorceress Comes to Call, or Bryony and Roses, or - the list goes on) you will like this book.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the coziest author of them all?
The answer is obviously T Kingfisher with her quirky retellings and unique protagonists and sweetly nonconventional romances.

When the King comes to you admitting he killed his wife after finding her with their daughter’s heart cut out and asks you to heal his seemingly poisoned remaining daughter, Snow, you don’t say no.

Even if Anja is 35 years old and a reluctant participant - she putters around her workroom and shoves charcoal down throats and occasionally up asses.

The first 40% is preparation and travel. However, this might have been my favourite part as Anja really got to shine. She is knowledgable, blunt, and stubborn. Funny without meaning to be.

There is a talking cat, a venomous snake, a stupid rooster, an attentive guard…
And much more.

Cats all know they’re smarter than you are, and they’re smug as hell about it. (This is not to say that there aren’t kind and loyal and humble cats out there. There probably are. I’m just saying that even the nicest cat in the world thinks it’s funny when you fall down the stairs.)

Whilst not overtly stated, I would say Anja is autism-coded. She is focused, prefers her own company, can spout lots of facts about poisons at the worst possible (and best) moments.

Arguably, this is T Kingfisher’s most romantic book. Not that I’m saying the romance was the main focus, but there was protectiveness, caring for her whilst she was sick, HAIR-BRAIDING!!!

This was also more fantastical than most of her other books. Confusing, weird, Snow White meets Alice in Wonderland vibes.

Four stars until 60%.
Maybe slightly too long, but enjoyable.

Arc gifted by Tor.

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